Leave No Trace – Responsible Enjoyment
Leave No Trace is a national and international program employing a combination of science and common sense for enjoying the outdoors responsibly. The program seeks to educate public land visitors about nature of their recreational impacts and the techniques to prevent and minimize such impacts. Apparently harmless activities may also account for critical risks due to unavailability of wild lands. The program is intended at protecting the limited resources and future recreation opportunities.
It employs certain principles to arrive at a desired solution of changing behavior through education, research and partnerships one person at a time. The principles include:
• Planning beforehand
• Traveling and Camping on Durable Surfaces
• Proper disposal of wastes and found materials
• Minimizing campfire impacts
• Consideration towards wildlife and other visitors
The Origin of ‘Leave No Trace’
The origin may be traced back to the 1970s and 80s when various groups started to advocate for the first time the minimum impact camping techniques. Thus, a national education program was developed in 1990 by the joint effort of United States Forest Service and National Outdoor Leadership School that was later shaped into “Leave No Trace” in 1994. It was due to the act of wilderness advocates who turned wilderness ethics 180 degrees, from ‘woodcraft’ to ‘Leave No Trace’. Dedicated to the responsible enjoyment and active stewardship by all people worldwide, the Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics is an international nonprofit organization that provides training in every state of U.S. and over 5 other countries.
Membership of ‘Leave No Trace’
Supporting this noble movement calls for subscribing as a member. Membership is easy and guarantees the following benefits:
• Personalized Membership card
• One-year subscription to the ‘Leave No Trace’ Canada newsletter
• Bumper sticker and reference card
• Pocket Guide
• 10% discount on ‘Leave No Trace’ educational materials and merchandise
• Ethical satisfaction
Types of membership include:
• Hiker Membership
• Backpacker Membership
• Tripper Membership
• Explorer Membership
Training and Courses
Master Educator Course – The ‘Leave No Trace’ Master Educator Course is a five days comprehensive course providing overview of ‘Leave No Trace’ skills and ethics through practical application in a field-based setting. Master Educator Instructors teach through skits, discussions and hands-on activities. Successful graduates are eligible to train others the same course and hold awareness workshops.
Two-day Trainer Courses - Designed for educators, guides, agency employees, and other outdoor professionals, the two-day Trainer Courses ensure graduates to teach the ethics to clients, friends and family.
Awareness workshop – 30-minute chats or a full-day awareness workshop is also conducted from time to time.
State Advocate Program – The State Advocate Program assists in building communities of volunteers and educators, state-by-state.
Module based program - A module based program known as PEAK helps promoting environmental awareness among kids. Creation of “Packing with PEAK Fund” enabled to make the program available to youth-serving organizations across the country for free.
Apart from these courses, the center also facilitates a tailor made course called the Subaru/Leave No Trace Traveling Trainer Program.
Thus, this educational and ethical program helps to understand and practice minimum impact skills and ethics.
